Is red wine good for your health or not? Cardiologists weigh in

The advice has been all over the place, it seems: From “Red wine is good for you” to “Red wine, like all forms of alcohol, isn’t so good for you.” For American Heart Month, we asked a couple of local cardiologists who are affiliated with the Nevada Heart & Vascular Center to sort it out.

“Red wine has this claim that it has antioxidants,” said Dr. Chowdhury Ahsan, chief of cardiology and chief of medicine at University Medical Center. “One of the ingredients is resveratrol,” a polyphenol shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, among others. “It’s a provocative thought, because overall, red wine may lower ‘bad‘ cholesterol, or LDL, and increase ‘good’ cholesterol, or HDL.”

‘Everything in moderation’

“There is some benefit,” agreed Dr. Fareed Sheikh, a cardiologist with Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center. He added that the “famous French wine study” remains a popular topic.

“I think our fascination is: Wine is something people enjoy,” Sheikh said. But he pointed out that the study found red wine beneficial as part of the Mediterranean diet, which is heavy with heart-healthy fruits and vegetables, whole grains and seafood, and at least five days of moderate-intensity exercise each week.

Ahsan said it’s important to remember the two aspects of the heart: “plumbing” and “pumping.” The plumbing side, he explained, is associated with coronary heart disease, blockages, etc. That’s the function where resveratrol has shown some benefits, he said.

But then there’s the pumping side, where alcohol use can lead to palpitations, arrhythmia, sudden changes in blood pressure and stroke. So, that’s not so good.

The upshot?

“Everything in moderation,” Sheikh said.

“The claim is that it has a favorable effect on cholesterol with a moderate amount — one glass of red wine a day,” Ahsan said. “If somebody crosses that, it may incrementally affect the outcome.”

“There seems to be with alcohol a J-curve,” Sheikh said. “A certain amount is recommended; above and beyond that there are deleterious effects. And it can affect liver function.”

Know your risk factors

Sheikh said the best thing you can do is be aware of your own risk factors.

“What I would recommend is, obviously, see your primary care practitioner,” he said. “Look for risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure and being overweight.”

Don’t wait until you’re stricken by a heart attack, Sheikh said. Preliminary screening can determine if you’re at risk.

“We see patients all the time (at the Nevada Heart & Vascular Center),” he said. “We do primary care and precision imaging to spot coronary heart disease earlier. It can give the patient peace of mind.”

Sheikh noted that the recent cardiac arrest that struck Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was sobering for a lot of people.

“It shows no one is immune, regardless of fitness state,” he said. “The holy grail of cardiology is preventing those events. We’re all at risk somewhat and just (need to) get appropriate people to mitigate those risks.”

And everyone, he said, should know basic CPR and the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and a stroke.

So have that glass of red if you want. Maybe with some dark chocolate, which Sheikh said contains polyphenols that can induce circulation in the heart “and make you feel good.”

“The bottom line,” Ahsan said: “Don’t take too much. A little bit of alcohol, red wine, if you take it on social occasions, enjoy it. But don’t take too much — that may be a slippery slope. If you really love it, then go for it. But if you don’t love it, don’t start.”